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The Boeing 747 was hijacked, however, by four armed men of the Abu Nidal terrorist organization. The plane, which carried some 379 people, also had several dozen Americans on board.
As Pakistani security forces stormed the plane, hijackers shot the passengers and threw grenades on the plane. 22 passengers, including 2 Americans were killed, and 150 were wounded. The four terrorists were captured and given prison sentences in Pakistan; however, they were later released. In late 2001 the leader of the Palestinian hijackers, Zayd Hassan Abd Al-Latif Masud Al Safarini, was captured in Pakistan and taken to the United States, where he would be tried for the hijacking.